


stay awake (dreams only last for a night)

by frapucinno



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Peter Pan Fusion, M/M, peter pan au but it's modern and they're not kids, some tender emotions, the rest of the seventeen boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-23 19:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14940050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frapucinno/pseuds/frapucinno
Summary: When a strange man shows up at Wonwoo's fire escape at two in the morning, the reasonable thing to do would be to call the cops.But then again, Wonwoo's never been reasonable, and the stranger's smile is too pretty to refuse.





	stay awake (dreams only last for a night)

**Author's Note:**

> literally no one asked for this but here it is! this is my first wonhui fic, so please be kind :"))  
> (title taken from the song 'stay awake (dreams only last for a night)' by all time low.

Wonwoo has been staring at his laptop screen for the past half an hour, fingers hovering over the keyboard but not typing anything out. This essay is due soon -- like, in three hours soon -- and he’s still around two thousand words short of the minimum word count. He’s been putting writing it off until the last minute because he has (what he thinks) more important assignments to finish and now he regrets not paying more attention in class and starting on this sooner, but regret can only do so much. In Wonwoo’s case, it unearths a load of stress and self-hatred rather than motivate him to finish his work faster.

College is a shitty, fermenting hellhole. Wonwoo’s riddled with stress and anxiety and sometimes (read: most of the time), like tonight, he just wants to run away from it all.

He glances at the clock on his phone. _1:47 a.m._ He decides he really needs a smoke.

Wonwoo slides open his window with a grunt, climbing out with a cigarette between his lips and a lighter in his hands. The metal railing is cold against his bare skin when he leans against it, sending shivers down his spine. He brings the lighter to the cigarette, cupping the flame with his other hand to shield it away from the late night wind blowing the chill directly onto his face.

Wonwoo manages to light the cigarette in three tries; he inhales deeply, a warmth seeping through his entire body. Breathe in and breathe out, in and out, a motion all too familiar to Wonwoo. He had started smoking back in the middle of his junior year of college, only because he was curious at first, but then he soon found out that it helped with easing the stress. No one really knows about this habit of his and maybe his shame and guilt had subconsciously gotten the best of him since he only ever smokes when he’s a hundred percent sure he’s alone. It’s not good for him, he’s perfectly aware of it. At least he’s not doing it as often anymore.

And he really needs this tonight.

He’s blanked out, the cigarette already halfway gone, ashes falling down onto the metal flooring when a voice behind him says, “You really should stop that. It’s not good for your health.”

Wonwoo jumps -- _literally_ jumps -- and turns around so fast he’s sure he gave himself whiplash. Before him stands a young man dressed in ripped up jeans and a green hoodie. The backlight coming from Wonwoo’s room makes it hard to see his face until he steps closer and plucks the cigarette from Wonwoo’s frozen hand, discarding it to the side. His hair is a windswept brown, falling over his forehead in soft strands. He’s probably around Wonwoo’s age, but there’s a childlike quality in his features, almost innocent and naive. _He’s pretty_ , is the first thing that comes into Wonwoo’s mind, which wasn’t exactly the first thing one should think of when one is face to face with a (possibly dangerous) stranger on a fire escape at almost two in the morning.

“Who the fuck are you?” Wonwoo manages to say, voice pitched with panic, stance defensive. Wonwoo might be built like a rake, but he knows how to throw a punch when necessary. “How the fuck did you get here?” He looks around, trying to spot a possible way as to how he managed to climb up onto his fire escape but finds nothing.

“I flew,” the boy answers, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Wonwoo gapes. “I’m sorry, you _what_?!”

“I _flew_ ,” he repeats. “Do you not pay attention?”

“What the fuck are you doing on my fire escape?! I’m not afraid to call the cops, so don’t try anything funny,” Wonwoo says, putting on a brave front even though his heart was beating a mile a minute.

“Chill, dude, I was just looking for my shadow,” the boy answers, again, like _it’s the most obvious thing in the world_.

Wonwoo stares at him. “How high are you right now?”

“I’m not on drugs,” the boy replies, head tilted to the side as he looks at Wonwoo intently, like _he’s_ the weird one here. It’s only then that Wonwoo realizes that there’s a soft orb of light resting on the boy’s shoulder -- Wonwoo squints at it and could vaguely make out the shape of… of _something._ All he’s sure of that it definitely has wings. “Is it alright if I go into your room?”

“What?”

“I think you have a hearing problem. You should really go get that checked out.”

Wonwoo sputters. “What do you need to go into my room for?”

“To find my shadow,” he answers. He doesn’t wait for Wonwoo to say anything else and instead turns to open and climb through the window, quick and agile.

“Hey, wait!” Wonwoo calls out, following behind. He bumps his head on the window frame in his haste, wincing at the sudden dull pain. “Isn’t this breaking and entering?”

“Not if I asked for permission. And you’re here with me, so...” the boy trails off as he looks around Wonwoo’s room. He whistles. “Nice place you’ve got here.” The orb floats off Wonwoo’s shoulder and starts to zip around the room like a bright mosquito. “Hey, get back here!” A small tinkling sound floats through the air, something like windchimes.

“Uh… Thanks,” Wonwoo says, watching the boy chase after the light orb around his room. He doesn’t seem dangerous but Wonwoo still has his guard up, just in case. “What’s your name?”

“Jun. Junhui. Whichever you prefer,” he replies, toying with Wonwoo’s desk lamp.

“And your, uh… friend?” Wonwoo points at the orb of light, now back on Junhui’s shoulder.

“You can call him Minghao. Or Haohao, but he might bite you if you call him that,” Junhui grins. Wonwoo leans in closer to take a better look at the orb and what he thought was an annoying firefly at first was actually a very small person… A _fairy_? Wonwoo rubs his eyes once, twice, to make sure he’s not hallucinating. It’s still there when he opens his eyes, tiny hands waving at him.

Junhui turns the desk lamp on, the light shining directly on him and where there should be a shadow casted on the wall behind him, there isn’t. Wonwoo blinks, convinced that the stress has finally gotten to him. “Uh… Your shadow.... Or, I guess, lack thereof…”

Junhui turns to look at the wall behind him. “Huh? Oh, yeah. It gets tiring sometimes. But he should be around here…” As if on cue, a rustle comes from the corner of Wonwoo’s room. Junhui perks up, head whipping to its general direction before he leaps towards it.

Wonwoo’s a hundred percent sure he’s either gone insane or was drugged when Junhui emerges with what he assumes is his shadow -- inky, black and somewhat translucent. It ripples slightly like the surface of a pond, its edges soft and blurry.

“What the fuck,” was all Wonwoo could say. He prides himself in being eloquent most of the time, but this was an exception.

“Do you happen to have a needle and some thread?” Junhui asks, his shadow still pooling in his arms, an overflow of something black and smoky. When Wonwoo shakes his head, he asks again, “Tape? Stapler?”

“Uh… Yeah, I have a stapler,” Wonwoo rummages through his drawers to procure it and hands it to Junhui, freaked out but still curious as to how Junhui will possibly attach (is that even the right word?) his shadow back on himself.

“Maybe _I’m_ the one on drugs,” Wonwoo mumbles out. It’s loud enough that Junhui barks out a laugh when he hears it. He’s crouched down on the floor, his shadow (it’s still super weird to think about) lying on the floor beside him. He picks it up as if it’s a piece of fabric, thin and sheer, before stapling it to the soles of his ratty Converse sneakers. He stands up, pleased, swinging an arm and a leg. His shadow follows suit.

“That was a bit anticlimactic,” Wonwoo blurts out. Junhui looks at him questioningly as he sputters out an explanation. “I mean, I thought you would’ve done a ritual or something. Use my blood as sacrifice. I don’t know. It just seemed appropriate.”

Junhui laughs, loud and clear. “You really don’t know much, do you Jeon Wonwoo?”

 _Know about what?_ Wonwoo wanted to ask him, but what comes out instead was, “How do you know my name?”

“It was on your textbook,” Junhui answers, pointing at the book resting on Wonwoo’s cluttered desk. Junhui wrinkles his nose. “Earth sciences? Really?” There’s another tinkle and Wonwoo realizes that the fairy -- Minghao -- was laughing at him. He glares at the ball of light sitting on Junhui’s shoulder.

“You come into _my house_ and you question _my major_ …”

Junhui laughs again, heading back towards the window. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Jeon Wonwoo, but I’m afraid I have to go.”

“Go? Go where?” Wonwoo asks, confused as to why Junhui’s going back to the fire escape if he wants to leave. “You can take the eleva --” Junhui’s already outside, pulling himself up and over the railing of the fire escape. “Wait, stop, what are you doing -- the _FUCK?_!”

Wonwoo stands frozen and speechless for a second because he just witnessed this strange man _jump off his fire escape_. His heart is in his stomach and he’s already wincing as he waits for the inevitable sound of a body crashing onto the pavement, but there was none. He climbs out the window as fast as he could, peering over the edge of the railing to see if he could spot Junhui but it was too dark. Okay. That surely isn’t a good sign. He should probably call the police, but what if they --

“Boo.”

Wonwoo screams, much louder and higher pitched than he would have preferred, swinging around to come face-to-face with Junhui who’s grinning at him like a handsome Cheshire Cat. Wonwoo clutches his chest; he feels his heart beating like a thousand drums. “ _Jesus._ ”

“No, it’s just me. Did I scare you?” Junhui asks, as if the answer wasn’t already clear enough.

“Don’t do that! What is wrong with you?”

“Oh, sorry, if I had known you get scared so easily I wouldn’t have snuck up on you.”

“Not that!” Wonwoo exclaims. “I mean, don’t just go jumping off people’s fire escapes! How are you even still alive?!”

“I flew.”

“What do you _mean_ by -- Oh. Oh my God.”

Wonwoo gapes, because this can’t be happening. He’s sure his schoolwork had killed him and he’s currently in some twisted afterlife and Junhui is the devil or something, because the guy is hovering. Like, actually hovering a few metres up in the air. Which is supposed to not be possible, but there it is, happening right in front of him.

“How are you doing that?” Wonwoo finally manages to ask, after what feels like hours of gaping at Junhui.

“Faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust,” Junhui winks at him, and for some reason Wonwoo feels his cheeks go warm. “Do you want to try?”

“Uh,” Wonwoo starts. “If pixie dust is a street name for some sort of drug, then no thanks. I think I’m alright.”

“It’s not a drug,” Junhui laughs, reaching into the pocket of his ripped-up jeans. Wonwoo stiffens, ready to pounce if this strange guy decides to do anything funny, but all Junhui pulls out is a small velvet drawstring bag. Minghao flies around Junhui’s head as if he’s protesting, but Junhui just waves him off. “What do you mean it’s a bad -- I know what I’m doing, Minghao.”

Junhui takes Wonwoo by surprise when he suddenly throws a fistful of what looks like golden glitter on Wonwoo. Wonwoo starts coughing when he inhales some of it and was about to smack Junhui on the back of the head when he realizes that his feet aren’t touching the ground. He’s floating, much lower than Junhui is, but he’s floating nonetheless. Wonwoo yelps, panicking when he can’t seem to land back on the ground, flailing until Junhui grabs his arms to steady him.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down,” Junhui says. “You’re good. You’re fine.” It’s strangely calming, although Wonwoo’s not quite sure if it was because of Junhui’s voice or the hands holding onto him to make sure that he won’t fall. Or maybe it was both.

Wonwoo lets out a shallow breath through gritted teeth. “ _What the fuck_ ,” is all he manages to say, which causes Junhui to laugh. It’s nice to know that Wonwoo being on the brink of a meltdown is funny to him.

“What the fuck,” Wonwoo repeats again. “How is this _happening_?”

“Magic.”

“ _Magic?_ ”

Junhui nods as if what’s happening right now is the most normal thing in the entire world. “It’s all around you, Jeon Wonwoo. You just have to look closer.” Junhui’s eyes are sparkling when they meet Wonwoo’s own, bright and shiny even in the darkness of the night, full of a naive mirth.

Wonwoo snorts. “Kind of hard to do when I have my nose buried in textbooks the whole day.”

“Then it’s time for a break, don’t you think?” Junhui grins. “Would you like to join me?”

Wonwoo raises an eyebrow, a bit skeptical even though he knows he shouldn’t be after everything that had happened tonight. He realizes just then how tight his grip on Junhui’s arms are. He lets go with much difficulty, clumsily steadying himself in the air. “Where to?”

“Neverland,” Junhui replies, pointing a slender finger at a bright dot in the night sky. “Second star to the right, straight on ‘til morning.” He bows and extends a hand, smile a thousand watts when he asks, “What do you say?”

A voice in the back of Wonwoo’s head tells him to say no because going off in the middle of the night with a strange man, in other circumstances, isn’t really a good idea, but for some reason Wonwoo’s willing to make an exception just this once. Wonwoo finds himself already trusting Junhui even though they had just met. There’s a certain charm that he possesses, an innocence that people Junhui’s age shouldn’t have. He smiles like he’s never been sad, laughs like he’s never experienced anything bad in is life. It’s enticing, and Wonwoo finds himself drawn in.

Wonwoo gingerly places his hand in Junhui’s. Junhui’s smile grows even brighter.

////

Wonwoo has a death grip on Junhui’s arms, knuckles pale and palms clammy. At first he had insisted on following behind as Junhui leads the way, but he finds it difficult to balance himself in the air. It’s like swimming (which he’s admittedly not very good at), except there’s no water and he’s a few hundred miles above ground with a very likely chance that he’ll fall if he loses focus. Junhui must have sensed Wonwoo’s turmoil, or he just pitied him, because after a few minutes of Wonwoo fumbling around he scoops him up in his arms as if Wonwoo weighs nothing, carrying him bridal style as they drift across the night sky. The ball of light that is Minghao tinkles and Wonwoo’s already associating the sound as the way the fairy communicates.

“You okay there?” Junhui asks, an amused look on his face when Wonwoo starts nodding his head vigorously. He’s not sure if he’s trying to convince Junhui or himself that he’s holding up just fine. “Breathe, relax. You’re safe.”

His grip loosens a bit at Junhui’s words. He knows he most likely had left marks on Junhui’s skin where his fingernails had dug into, but his throat seems as if it had closed up, refraining him from apologising. Junhui just gives him a smile, which calms his nerves a bit, and says, “Hold on tight for this next part.”

 _As if I wasn’t already_ , Wonwoo wanted to say, but the sudden strong gust of wind that hits him in the face cuts him off. There’s a considerable increase in the speed at which they’re flying and Wonwoo finds himself clutching even harder onto Junhui’s arms. The chilly wind whips at his face, forcing him to shut his eyes tight in order to not dry them up. They slow down gradually until the strong winds turn into a gentle breeze; Wonwoo feels the words reverberate in Junhui’s chest when he says, “You can open your eyes now.”

He does, and the first thing he sees is a never-ending vast blue, surrounding them like a plush blanket; it’s hard to figure out where the sky ends and the ocean starts. Smack in the middle of it is an island, bright green and oddly-shaped with high peaks that Wonwoo assumes are hills and mountains. A rainbow hangs over the island, shimmery and iridescent, the sun’s rays glinting off the surface of the ocean. It’s not the middle of the night here, which means Neverland is in a whole other timezone or that time must work differently.

Wonwoo’s shaky when his feet finally touch the ground, hand resting on Junhui’s shoulder until his knees stop wobbling. They’re by the shore, the sound of the waves calming every tense muscle in Wonwoo’s body. Behind them is the forest, thick and green and wild. The sand under Wonwoo’s shoes is white and untouched and Junhui’s smile rivals the sun when he proudly says, “Welcome to Neverland.”

////

Junhui leads the both of them through the forest, following a seemingly invisible path that only he could see. If Wonwoo were asked to try and make his way back to the shore, he probably couldn’t do it -- everything looks the same: trees, grass, shrubs, rocks. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, although he could feel something in the air; it’s foreign yet familiar to him all at once, like wandering through a newly renovated house. It feels off but not in a bad way. Maybe it’s the magic, Wonwoo thinks. His initial skepticism has long gone away after what he had just experienced.

After god knows how many more minutes of walking, the trees started to thin out, making way to a clearing in which stands a colossal tree that towers over the rest of the forest. Wonwoo could see huts of varying shapes and sizes sitting on top of the tree’s huge branches with ladders between them for access -- a very grand and impressive treehouse (or treehouses). Wonwoo gawks as he tries to take it all in and Junhui laughs beside him.

“Pretty neat, huh?” Junhui says, chest puffed out in pride.

“How…?” Wonwoo trails off, still in disbelief.

“There you are!” a voice suddenly cuts through the silence, causing Wonwoo and Junhui to turn their heads towards its source. A young man stands beside the ladder that’s propped against the tree trunk, pointy ears sticking out of his messy hair. “Took you long enough, I thought you crashed and died or something.”

“Do you doubt my flying skills that much, Haohao?” Junhui grins, arm slung around the young man’s shoulder for approximately two seconds before he pushes it off.

The young man snorts. “It’s not you who I’m worried about.” He gives Wonwoo a sharp glance and begins to hoist himself up on the rungs of the ladder.

“Wait, Haohao?” Wonwoo gapes at the man’s back. “ _You’re_ Minghao?”

“Yeah, so?”

“But you’re…” Wonwoo gestures wildly, “...not tiny.”

Minghao turns his head to glare at him before he continues making his way up the ladder.

“Yeah, we don’t really know why that happens,” Junhui tries to explain, nudging Wonwoo towards the direction of the ladder. “Maybe the human world messes with him and it forces him to stay in his fairy form. Or, since he’s more powerful here in Neverland, it’s easier for him to hold his human form.”

Wonwoo grabs onto a rung. “Well, whatever the reason, he’s surely less threatening when he’s tiny.”

“I heard that!” Minghao exclaims, a few metres above Wonwoo’s head. Junhui hides his laughter behind a hand. Halfway up the ladder, Wonwoo asks, “Wait, why are we climbing? Can’t you just fly up?”

“Exercise,” Junhui replies simply. “Besides, you look like you’re going to pass out if we fly any more.”

Wonwoo opens his mouth to argue but shuts it immediately when he realizes that Junhui was right. There was no point in denying it, not when he still feels a tad shaky.

The ladder leads up to what Wonwoo assumes is the main hut -- it looks the largest and is situated right in the middle, its floors, roof and walls made of wood. The trunk of the tree pierces through the hut as a support structure, like a ginormous wooden pillar. A boy sits on a chair in the corner of the hut, quickly setting his book down when he notices their presence.

“Junhui, Minghao! You’re back!” he exclaims happily. He raises his eyebrow when his eyes lands on Wonwoo. “Who’s that?”

Another boy, whose body was obstructed from Wonwoo’s view by the rattan couch in front of him, suddenly sits up, looking at him with curious eyes much like a meerkat. He grins at Wonwoo before saying to no one in particular, “He’s cute.”

Wonwoo almost chokes at how straightforward the boy was. He feels a sudden warmth on his back where Junhui’s hand is resting on, gently pushing him towards the direction of the two boys.

“Chan, Hansol,” Junhui says cheerfully, using a hand to gesture at the boys, “meet Wonwoo. He’ll be staying with us for a while to let off some steam.” The boys’ gazes are scrutinizing but not unfriendly, yet Wonwoo still feels a bit timid.

“Is this place a vacation spot now or what,” he hears Minghao mumble from beside him. He glances at Wonwoo before walking towards the other end of the hut and pushing the door open, announcing, “I’m going to look for Mingyu.”

Once Minghao’s out of sight, all attention turns back to Wonwoo. Chan offers him a smile, friendly and childlike. “Welcome, Wonwoo. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here.” Hansol gives him a thumbs up before flopping back down onto the floor with a dull thud. The two of them look quite young and Wonwoo briefly wonders how they got here. He has a ton of questions about Neverland and Junhui; he’ll ask them later. Right now, everything seems okay -- well, more than okay, actually. Even though he’s in a completely foreign realm, Wonwoo’s never felt this relaxed in months.

////

“So, how old are you?”

The ground is damp under Wonwoo’s feet, some areas giving way to more muddy soil. Chan had revealed that it had rained when Junhui and Minghao were gone, which meant that Mingyu couldn’t go out to gather ingredients, which also means that they currently have nothing to cook for dinner tonight. Junhui had offered to go look for whatever’s needed, dragging Wonwoo along with him so he could show him around. They’ve only been wandering in the forest so far -- it’s far cooler than Wonwoo thought it would be, the occasional gentle breeze rustling the grass and the leaves prevents it from being too hot. Sunlight filters through the gaps between the branches and the trees, the afternoon rays making Junhui’s hair look like woven gold when he bends down to pick mushrooms and plants from the soil.

Junhui had done most of the talking at first, telling him stories about the boys (apparently there’s two others that Wonwoo’s yet to meet -- Mingyu and Seungkwan) and about Neverland in general before Wonwoo’s curiosity gets the better of him and he pops the question. Junhui’s squatting down as he examines a mushroom and doesn’t turn to look at Wonwoo when he answers, “Physically, I’d say twenty-one? Twenty-two?” He unearths the mushroom from the soil, throwing it in a small rattan basket he had brought.

“Physically?”

“Yeah, like my physical appearance and all that,” Junhui stands up, wiping his hands on the fabric of his jeans. “But how long I’ve been alive? I’m not really sure.”

Wonwoo feels his eyebrows rise up to his hairline. “You’re telling me you’re _immortal_?”

“Not immortal, per se. I can still very much die,” Junhui starts explaining, shifting the basket from one hand to another. Wonwoo follows the movement with his eyes. “It’s just that I don’t grow up.”

“Huh,” was all Wonwoo could say because he really doesn’t know how to react to the information that Junhui’s just given him.

“You don’t grow up here, I guess. Honestly, Neverland is a strange place. Strange, but magical,” Junhui says. “I’ve been here the longest and I’m still not entirely sure how the place really works, but I’ve got my entire life to find out.” He grins cheekily. “If you want to keep your boyish good looks though, then I guess this is the place to be. Better and more affordable than plastic surgery.”

Wonwoo opens his mouth to laugh, but something strikes him all too suddenly. “Oh _shit_ , my essay.” This new place with all of its mysterious beauty has completely caused Wonwoo to forget what he was doing before Junhui appeared at his fire escape. “Oh my God, I’m going to fail.”

“We’re in Neverland and all you can think about is your stupid essay?”

Wonwoo shoots a glare at Junhui. “It’s not _stupid_. I have to get it done and submit it or else I’ll flunk and have to repeat the class all over again. I have to get back home.”

“Relax --”

“You have to get me home _now_ \--”

“Calm down, will you?” Junhui’s set the basket down and places both of his hands on Wonwoo’s shoulders. His touch eases Wonwoo’s anxiety a little bit but it’s still eating away at his entire being like an annoying rat. “You’ll be fine. Your essay can wait. Enjoy yourself for now.”

“Look, just because _you_ have a never-ending hourglass in the palm of your hands doesn’t mean the rest of us do too,” Wonwoo says. He knows he’s being unreasonably annoyed and upset but he couldn’t help it. He shrugs Junhui’s hands off his shoulders with a little more force than necessary. “If you won’t bring me back home, I’ll find my own way back.”

Wonwoo huffs and storms off; it’s probably not a good idea to wander off in an unfamiliar place all by himself, but his logic’s thrown out the window, replaced only by senseless frustration. He ignores Junhui’s voice calling out for him, quickening his pace whenever he hears Junhui’s voice get closer to escape from him until all he hears is the sound of his own laboured breathing and footsteps. He’s sure that the treehouse is here somewhere -- maybe a little bit to the north? Wait, no. The east? That’s not it either.

Wonwoo knows that he’s lost, but he’s also stubborn, which means that calling for help is out of the question. He wanders further -- he’s bound to come across the treehouse sooner or later. The forest isn’t just endless trees and grass.

Wonwoo hears the sound of running water after a few more minutes of walking. He follows it, pushing away branches and leaves out of his way until he stands before a pool of water, clear and sparkling under the sun. Pink rocks sprinkled with soft moss surround the pool, towering over it, a small waterfall crashing against the rocks like a satin scarf. There are also rocks in the middle of the pool and on them lay two young shirtless young men and on the lower parts of their bodies where there should be legs, there were fish tails, their scales glinting under the sunlight.

Wonwoo stands by the edge of where the water meets the ground, silent until one of the mermen notices him. He sits up, looking at Wonwoo curiously before he nudges the other merman who finally regards him, throwing his long lilac hair over his shoulder.

“Are you lost, stranger?” the short haired merman calls out, his voice still sounding sweet and mesmerizing despite the fact that he was practically yelling at Wonwoo from a few feet away. He brushes his brown bangs away from his forehead to get a clearer look of Wonwoo.

Wonwoo steps onto a rock closer to the shore. When he deems it not too slippery, he steps onto another one that’s further inside the pool, then another one and another one, the pastel rocks acting as very uneven stepping stones. The tips of his sneakers get wet when he lands nearer to the edge of a rock than he anticipated. “Uh, maybe.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before,” says the merman, not yelling anymore since Wonwoo’s standing much closer. “Are you new here?”

“He’s one of Junhui’s I bet,” says the long haired merman before Wonwoo could answer, grinning at him like a cheshire cat. He stretches his arms languidly before pushing himself off the rock and into the clear water. His movements are graceful and poised from the way he keeps himself afloat to the way he brushes his wet hair away from his face. He swiftly swims over to Wonwoo, resting his chin on his hand that’s propped up against the rock Wonwoo’s standing on. “How is he anyway?”

“Uh, fine, I guess?” Wonwoo answers.

“Have you been initiated yet?” the merman asks.

Wonwoo gulps. “No? What initiation?”

“Jeonghan --” he hears the other merman call out in a warning tone. Wonwoo’s eyes are glued on Jeonghan and his every movement; he already has an inkling of suspicion of what will happen next. Jeonghan’s sweet smile grows more mischievous by the second and Wonwoo takes a step back but he wasn’t quick enough. He was breathing air one second and then he couldn’t; he’s sinking, water closing in all around him. He trashes around, breaking the surface for no more than a second before he’s sinking again, faster this time. A twinge of panic settles deep within him as he only thinks about survival, cursing himself for not at least trying to take swimming lessons, but then it’s gone, darkness creeping into his vision.

Wonwoo feels an arm wrap around his torso, then another, and as sudden as he was pulled into the water he was out again. He doesn’t know how long he had been under -- it could be hours for all he cared -- but he’s on land again, the ground hard and damp. His senses are numb but he registers the sound of someone frantically calling out his name and a pair of hands pressing down on his chest.

Wonwoo’s eyes fly open, the faint blurry outline of a person leaning over him suddenly sharpens and turns into Junhui. He takes a deep breath in and turns to his side with whatever strength he has left in his body to cough out the water he had inhaled.

After he had expelled what felt like gallons of water out from his lungs, he collapses back on the ground, breathing still heavy. Junhui has his hands on both of Wonwoo’s shoulders, worry set deep in the lines of his face.

“I’m good,” Wonwoo wheezes out once his breathing steadied, giving Junhui a thumbs up and a wry smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re good? _You’re good?!_ ” Junhui yells. Wonwoo almost jumps back from the sudden outburst but the grip Junhui has on his shoulders prevents him from doing so. “Is that all you can say? You almost _died_!”

“But I didn’t, thanks to you,” Wonwoo squeaks out, but Junhui’s attention is already directed elsewhere. He’s glaring at something, or more accurately, someone behind Wonwoo’s shoulder.

“And _you_ , Jeonghan! You _ass!_ ” Junhui yells. Wonwoo turns around to see the target of Junhui’s anger. The merman has a wry smile on his face, shoulders shrugged. The other merman has his head in his hands as if he’d gotten a migraine by just watching all of this unfold.

“How could I have known that he can’t swim?” Jeonghan says.

“Well, maybe you don’t just drag strangers into the water? Have you thought about that?” Junhui exclaims.

Wonwoo watches silently as Junhui argues with Jeonghan, his eyes following the droplet of water that’s trailing down the bridge of his nose to the mole near his cupid’s bow, slowly making its way to his adam’s apple; and then Wonwoo realizes how close Junhui’s body is to his own and how if he leaned in _like_ _this_ he could --

Wonwoo blinks and snaps out of it just in time to hear Jeonghan say, “At least he’s alive!”

////

By the time they got back to the treehouse, Wonwoo’s hair had turned from soaking wet to damp but his clothes still cling annoyingly to his skin, making it hard for him to move. The whole way, Junhui’s hand never leaves Wonwoo as he scolds him for wandering away. Wonwoo mutters apologies through it all. Wonwoo thinks it’s kind of cute how Junhui cares so much about someone he only just met and he had a suspicion that he’s like this to the rest of the boys too, just like a protective mother duck.

The moment they made it inside the hut, Hansol speaks up, “What happened to the both of you?”

“Jeonghan,” Junhui answers, sounding more tired than he looks. He sets the basket of vegetables that they had gathered on the table. A tall boy quickly rummages through it as he thanks them for helping them.

“Wonwoo, Mingyu. Mingyu, Wonwoo,” Junhui says, gesturing between the two of them. Junhui pulls up his damp hoodie over his head (Wonwoo ignores the way his breath hitches in his throat); so now he’s just standing there shirtless in the middle of the room. Wonwoo’s amazed at the amount of confidence Junhui has to be able to strip like that with people watching, but he’s more amazed at how toned Junhui’s body is.

Mingyu raises his head to look at Wonwoo, eyes wide and shining as if he’s just noticed Wonwoo’s presence. His mouth breaks into a grin, revealing his pointed canine teeth. “Oh, hi! It’s nice to meet you!”

“Hi,” Wonwoo waves awkwardly. He’s still a bit distracted by shirtless Junhui but he makes his best to make eye contact with Mingyu and not Junhui’s abs.

“Are you allergic to anything?” Mingyu asks, emptying the basket and laying its contents on the table. “I need to know so I don’t accidentally kill you.”

“Uh… seafood,” Wonwoo replies. It’s nice of Mingyu to ask, Wonwoo thinks. Whereas Junhui reminds him of a cat, Mingyu’s akin to an oversized puppy.

“Noted. You both should probably go get changed or else you’ll catch a cold,” Mingyu brandishes a knife out of nowhere, gesturing towards the back exit (or entrance?) of the hut. “I’ll call you when dinner’s done!”

Wonwoo ducks his head in thanks and flashes Mingyu a smile. It takes a while for him to move because the way Junhui’s back muscles move is very, very mesmerizing.

“Wonwoo, stop staring or else you’re going to bore holes through him,” Hansol says, and even without looking Wonwoo knows he’s smirking. Wonwoo feels his face heat up and quickly follows Junhui out of the hut, Hansol snickering behind him.

Junhui reveals that each of the boys have their own huts, and Junhui’s is the furthest away from the main hut, accessible only by flying or by the rope ladders and wooden stairs connecting everything together. They end up walking because Junhui had forgotten to ask Minghao for more pixie dust. Honestly, Wonwoo would rather fly because he’s wary that the rickety ladders would be able to hold his weight. He voices this concern to Junhui, and Junhui replies with utmost confidence, hand extended for Wonwoo to grab ahold of, “Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen and in the unlikely event that something does, I’ll be there. I won’t let you get hurt.”

Wonwoo takes Junhui’s hand, and tells himself that the reason why his heart is beating so fast is because of his fear of falling.

While they walk, Junhui explains how they salvage materials from the various items that someone make their way to Neverland’s beach (or ‘shipwrecks’, as the boys like to call it), but sometimes if they’re desperate for something, Junhui will have to go back to the ‘human world’ to get it. He also points out the various areas of the treehouse: there’s the bathrooms which Minghao had built from scratch, the hole in the deck where Mingyu had fallen through that one time (don’t ask), the telescope Junhui had mysteriously procured one night (“Did you steal it?” “What? Aha… of course not!”) and of course the boys’ huts. It’s obvious that once they reach Junhui’s hut, his has been there the longest.

The weathered dull brown wood of his hut is visibly older than the rest. The floor creaks when they enter, which worries Wonwoo a bit but Junhui assures him that it’s perfectly stable. There isn’t anything particularly glamorous about the hut. It’s as simple as it gets -- there’s a dresser with an antique mirror sitting on top of it, a bed with a frame made out of wood and a mattress made of what looked like straw, a window right next to the bed covered by blue curtains, and a small desk and chair. It reminds Wonwoo too much of his room back home.

Junhui rummages through his dresser as Wonwoo waits awkwardly by the door -- he’s not inside the hut but he’s not outside either. He barely catches the long sleeved shirt and sweatpants Junhui throws his way.

“I think those will fit you. It gets cold at night,” Junhui explains before picking out his own clothes. Once he’s satisfied with his choices, he leads Wonwoo back the way they came and to the showers. Even though he’s surrounded by wooden walls, Wonwoo still feels strangely exposed.

The sun had already begun to set by the time they’re done. Mingyu’s voice calls out to them to tell them dinner’s ready and they make their way to the deck near the front of the treehouse where plates of food lay on top of a long table. There’s rice, fish, chicken and greens and they smell so, so good. Wonwoo’s stomach rumbles loudly and he didn’t realize how hungry he was until this very moment.

Chan and Hansol were already happily shovelling food onto their own plates. There’s a boy, who Wonwoo assumes is Seungkwan, sitting next to Hansol. He grins when he sees Wonwoo, introducing himself cheerily and starting a conversation with Wonwoo as if he’s known him for years instead of only seconds.

Despite himself, Wonwoo feels strangely at ease amongst all these people he had just met. There’s something about them -- the way Minghao scolds Mingyu for dropping a plate of rice, the way Hansol tells Seungkwan and Chan to stop bickering, the way Junhui places more pieces of chicken on his plate to make sure he’s eating enough -- that makes Wonwoo feel comfortable. They don’t treat him like a stranger… It’s the opposite, really. It’s like he’s an old friend.

////

After dinner, they all make their way back to their own huts. Junhui wasn’t lying when he said that it gets cold at night; if it weren’t for the long sleeved shirt he had lent Wonwoo, he’s sure his teeth would be chattering right now.

Wonwoo’s ecstatic to finally be able to rest after a very, very long day, but everything comes crashing down when they enter the hut and he realizes that there’s only one bed, which means --

“We’re going to have to share,” Junhui says. “Normally I would whip out a hammock and sleep outside, but they’re still out drying since we just washed them yesterday.” He looks at Wonwoo, biting his bottom lip. “Are you okay with that?”

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Wonwoo says, trying to laugh it off as a joke, but the statement made Junhui visibly distress even more.

“I’ll just sleep on the floor then --”

“What? Why?”

“I know you’re not used to sharing a bed with someone --”

“Don’t worry about it, Junhui, it’s fi --”

“ -- and I don’t want to make you do anything you’re uncomfortable with --”

“Junhui --”

“ -- because I want you to feel --”

“ _Jun!_ ” Wonwoo exclaims, hand resting on Junhui’s shoulder, finally stopping his rambling. Junhui looks at him with wide eyes and Wonwoo offers him a smile. “I said it’s fine, _really._ ”

“You sure?” Junhui asks.

Wonwoo nods, a bit touched that Junhui had offered to sleep on the cold, hard floor to make sure Wonwoo’s not uncomfortable even though Wonwoo was the guest. _He’s too nice_ , Wonwoo thinks.

Junhui still seems a bit wary, so Wonwoo climbs onto the bed first. He’s surprised to find that it’s way more comfortable than it looks. He pats the empty space on the mattress next to him and Junhui hesitantly joins him.

“Night, Wonwoo.”

“Good night.”

It’s awkward, less than what Wonwoo had anticipated at first but it’s still awkward nonetheless, to try and not brush against Junhui while lying in a bed that’s essentially made for only one person. Wonwoo tries his best to stay still, chest pressed against the wall. It’s warmer inside the hut than it is outside and the blanket is a bit too small for both of them but they made it work the best they could even though one of Wonwoo’s legs stick out.

Wonwoo thinks he definitely won’t be able to fall asleep like this, not when he’s lying so rigidly trying not to make contact with Junhui, but the moment he closes his eyes, he drifts off to a soundless sleep.

////

Wonwoo is awakened by the sunlight streaming through the thin curtains and the cacophony of sounds from nature; chirping birds, rustling trees, rushing water in the distance -- sounds he’s not used to waking up to because he lives in the heart of the city. In Seoul, the rush of morning traffic and construction work are what wake him up on most mornings, and for a second, in his still hazy half-asleep state, he thinks, _I could get used to this._

Once Wonwoo’s fully regained consciousness, he tries to stretch his arms only to discover that he’s pinned down by something, and it’s only then he realizes that Junhui is pressed flush against him, an arm wrapped tightly against Wonwoo’s waist. Wonwoo feels his breathing stop and heartbeat pick up when he looks down at a sleeping Junhui who looks much more innocent than he his when he’s awake, bangs fanned out across his forehead and Wonwoo uses all the self-restraint he has in him not to brush it away.

He knows Junhui’s pretty, but seeing him this up close he’s even prettier. Wonwoo could see all of Junhui’s little moles and freckles; the one on his cheek, two just above his lips -- Wonwoo could count them all, and that was just what he was doing when Junhui’s eyes fly open.

Wonwoo doesn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t staring because he’s been caught red-handed. Junhui looks at him straight in the eyes, silent, and Wonwoo feels the heat creep up from his neck to his face. Junhui doesn’t break eye contact and sighs before he says, voice laced with sleep, “You hog the blanket.”

Wonwoo gives him a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

Junhui yawns and sits up, and Wonwoo immediately misses his warmth, shivering at the sudden coldness. “It’s alright. Let’s get breakfast.”

Breakfast was simple -- toast and some fresh fruits that Hansol had picked earlier in the morning (“He’s a morning person, but sometimes he just doesn’t sleep,” Junhui had explained). The sun is shining brightly but it’s not uncomfortably hot -- there’s a light breeze which occasionally rustles the leaves of the trees around them making for a pleasant background noise. No longer riddled with the fear of falling, it’s the first time Wonwoo actually took the time to look around and appreciate the view. He’s able to see the beach and the ocean, a bright cerulean blue, and if he strains his ears enough he could make out the sound the waves crashing against the shore. He feels completely relaxed -- who cares about college submissions when he’s out here in such a magical place?

Once they’re done with breakfast, Wonwoo insists to help wash the dishes since it’s the least he could do to give back to the boys’ hospitality. He carries the plates and starts making his way over to the stone sink by the kitchen, where Minghao had already started washing the plates. Wonwoo stands near him awkwardly, not sure how to tell him that he’ll be willing to do the dishes without receiving a snappy comeback because he’s sure that Minghao isn’t exactly that fond of him.

“Stop standing there. You look dumb. Just place the dishes in the sink and go,” Minghao says after a moment, not even looking at him.

Wonwoo shifts his weight from foot to foot. “Uh… I don’t mind doing the dishes. Least I could do here.”

“Look, just put them in the damn sink and I’ll wash them,” Minghao snaps. Wonwoo flinches at his tone. “Go bother Junhui or something.”

Not wanting to annoy Minghao any further, Wonwoo does as he’s told, placing the dirty plates and glasses carefully in the sink, quietly thanking Minghao as he does so which earns him an eye-roll and a “whatever” from the fairy. Wonwoo makes his way back to the deck and sits just across from Junhui.

“What’s wrong?” Junhui asks almost immediately. Wonwoo prides himself in having a solid poker face so he’s a bit taken aback at how quickly he’s able to pick up the change in Wonwoo’s emotions.

Wonwoo scratches the back of his neck before answering. “I don’t think Minghao likes me very much.”

Junhui’s eyes glances over to where the fairy was standing. Beside him, Chan says, “Minghao’s just… really protective over all of us. It’ll take him a while to warm up to you.”

Mingyu nods in agreement. “When I first came here, he threatened to feed me to the crocodile if I --”

“Let’s not scare him off,” Seungkwan says. He pats Wonwoo’s back. “Don’t worry, Minghao’s a good guy.”

“Anyway,” Junhui stands up, wiping his palms on his pants before extending a hand towards Wonwoo. “We should get going.”

Wonwoo looks at him, raising an eyebrow. “Where to?”

“I’m going to show you around today. Give you the full Neverland experience,” Junhui grins, wide and stunning. The morning rays of the sun behind him washes over him and he looks like he’s glowing. “What do you say?”

Without much deliberation, Wonwoo takes his hand.

////

The first place Junhui brings him to is Mermaid Lagoon. Initially, Junhui was adamant to skip it because of the incident yesterday but Wonwoo insisted that Junhui bring him back (“You almost _drowned!_ ” “That’s not stopping me from getting the _‘full experience’.”_ “...You’re an idiot.”). He’s formally introduced to the two mermen he met yesterday -- Jisoo and Jeonghan. Jisoo is very kind, with a very sweet smile; Jeonghan’s also pretty nice when he’s not trying to drown Wonwoo. He even gave Wonwoo a necklace of pretty white, blue and pink shells as a token of apology. Wonwoo also met other mermaids that he didn’t see yesterday: there’s the soft-spoken Nayoung, the elegant Kyungwon and Minkyung whose hair reminds Wonwoo of the overcast sky when it’s about to rain.

“It was nice to meet you, Wonwoo!” Kyungwon calls out from where she’s floating in the water, waving cheerfully at him when they were about to leave. “Sorry Jeonghan tried to drown you!”

“I apologised! We’ve put it behind us!” Jeonghan exclaims, splashing water at Kyungwon.

Wonwoo laughs when Kyungwon retaliates by splashing back even harder, causing Jeonghan to swallow a mouthful of water. He waves back at the group before departing, “It was nice to meet you all too.”

“Junhui, you take care of him, you understand!” Minkyung practically yells. “He’s a keeper!”

When they’re back in the forest, away from the mermaids’ earshot, Wonwoo alters his pace so that he’s walking right beside Junhui. He nudges him in the arm. “What was that about?”

“What was what about?”

“You know, Minkyung. What she said.”

“Oh. Haha. Well...” Junhui trails off, rubbing the back of his neck, not quite looking at Wonwoo. His cheeks are tinted pink, and Wonwoo thinks it’s kind of cute.

Wonwoo nudges him again, grinning. “I’m honoured that I have your friends’ stamp of approval.”

Junhui flushes; a nice change, since it seems like Wonwoo was the only one doing the blushing around here.

The sun was already high in the sky by the time they got to Marooner’s Rock, which is more like a cliff and less like a rock. From there, Wonwoo could see far into the horizon, the afternoon sun’s ray glinting off the ocean’s still blue surface. There was barely a cloud in the sky, which made it a bit difficult to discern where the ocean ended and the sky began. The temperature had gone up considerably since the morning and Wonwoo’s shirt had begun to cling to his back after walking through the forest for quite some time, but the weather isn’t as unbearable like back in Seoul.

The ocean breeze relieves some of the heat; it’s gentle but strong enough to blow Wonwoo’s hair back. Wonwoo momentarily wonders how fantastic life would be if he could have this perfect of a weather every day -- warm afternoons, cold nights and crisp mornings -- instead of sweating bullets in the summer and having icicles form on the tip of his nose during winter.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Junhui suddenly asks softly. Wonwoo turns his head to look at Junhui, but he’s not looking at him; instead his eyes are focused far away as if he could see beyond the horizon.

Wonwoo nods in agreement. “It is. I haven’t been to the beach in a long time. I used to go to... ” he trails off, because all of a sudden he doesn’t remember the name of the beach he always goes to, the one with the ferris wheel and the viking ride. Wonwoo chalks it up to his bad memory and shakes his head a bit before turning fully to face Junhui, smiling. “Anyway. Do you like the beach?”

The change in Junhui’s expression is so miniscule that Wonwoo isn’t sure whether or not his mind made it up: a knit of his eyebrows and a slight downturn tug of his lips, which passed just as quickly as it came. Something doesn’t quite sit right with him, but Wonwoo pays it no mind, because not even half a second later Junhui’s face is smiling brightly back at him. “I do. What do you say? Care of a long, romantic walk on the beach?”

Junhui wiggles his eyebrows flirtily and Wonwoo laughs, taking Junhui’s offered hand. “And they say romance is dead.”

Junhui moves quickly -- too quick for Wonwoo to respond, hoisting him up to carry him bridal style (deja vu) and Wonwoo, by default, immediately clings onto Junhui. Junhui, without warning, jumps of the cliff.

Wonwoo yells, but instead of free falling down like he anticipated, they float down onto the ground as if they’re wearing invisible parachutes. Junhui lands softly on his feet, something only possible due to lots of practice, and sets Wonwoo down.

“Please warn me next time,” Wonwoo squeaks, knees still wobbly.

“Sorry,” Junhui apologizes, but the guilt stays in his face for no longer than a second because then he’s immediately toeing off his shoes, kicking them aside, stomping his bare feet on the sand. “Ah! That feels much better.” He pauses to look weirdly at Wonwoo, as if Wonwoo’s done something wrong. “What? Are you not going to take off your shoes? We’re at the beach!”

So Wonwoo takes off his shoes, setting them aside carefully unlike Junhui, who’s watchful gaze flusters Wonwoo -- it’s not like he’s even stripping, he’s just taking off his shoes for fuck’s sake, but something in Junhui’s eyes make Wonwoo blush. Wonwoo’s feet sink into the soft sand; he takes a few steps forward and wiggles his toes. Wonwoo thinks that this is the closest thing to walking on a cloud that he’ll ever experience.

Junhui grins at Wonwoo, wide and unrestrained, before grabbing his arm and pulling him closer to the shore. He’s running and cheering excitedly, and Wonwoo has no choice but to follow along unless he wants to eat a mouthful of sand.

The waves are cool and refreshing when they splash against Wonwoo’s feet before ebbing away; the water is so clear that Wonwoo could see through its surface. Junhui watches him as if he’s gauging for Wonwoo’s reaction -- and Wonwoo abruptly kicks up to splash water on him.

“Hey!” Junhui sputters, looking mildly offended. “What was that for!”

Wonwoo laughs. “You were staring.”

“No I wasn’t!” Junhui splashes back. Wonwoo doesn’t bother to dodge. “And it’s not like you don’t stare at me too!”

 _Splash!_ “I _don’t_ stare!”

 _Splash!_ “Yes you do! I see you!”

 _Splash!_ “You’d only know that if you stare at _me_!”

There’s a pause as Junhui squints at him. “Touché,” he says, before throwing a handful of wet sand at Wonwoo’s chest.

They spend the next few minutes throwing sand and splashing water at each other, and it’s nice, Wonwoo thinks, to act like a child again. At the back of his mind, he knows that there’s something back at home that he’s supposed to do, but he pushes it away. Here, there are no inhibitions. He doesn’t remember the last time he felt this free… this _happy_.

They call a truce after Wonwoo almost trips and falls into the ocean (luckily, Junhui was there to catch him -- it seems as if Junhui is always there to save him from something). The afternoon passed by in a blur and before he knows it, the sun is already about to set.

“We should get going,” Junhui says, standing up from where he’s seated on the shore, brushing sand off his pants. “We don’t want to head back when it’s already dark.”

Wonwoo nods and follows suit. He’s unrolling the cuffs of his pants when everything crashes on him all at once, just like the waves against the shore. He looks at Junhui, too preoccupied with tying his shoelaces, and sees the blue of the ocean reflecting in his pupils, the gold on his skin where the setting sun kisses it, sees the ghost of a smile on his face and the kindness of his heart and the pureness of his soul.

It’s right then and there that he realizes he had fallen for Junhui.

////

“Did you have a good time today?”

Wonwoo looks up from where he’s folding Junhui’s clothes (he isn’t very organised) to see Junhui towelling his hair, wet from his shower. Wonwoo smiles. “I had a great time.”

Junhui hums, happy. “That’s great to hear. I’m sorry we didn’t get to visit other places. You would have loved Never Land Plains.” He sighs, setting the towel aside and sits cross legged on the bed. “Too bad that there wasn’t enough time.”

Wonwoo pauses, hands hovering over a half-folded pair of jeans. “Having enough time… What’s that like?”

“What?”

Wonwoo turns so that he’s facing Junhui who has a puzzled expression on his face. “You know, you have enough -- no, you have more than enough time. You have all the time in the world. What’s it like?”

There’s a moment of absolute stillness before Junhui sighs. “It’s both a blessing and a curse. It gets tiring, sometimes. Knowing that I’m going to outlive everyone and everything I love? That takes a toll on people,” Junhui smiles, but it’s hollow, and Wonwoo feels his chest constricting. “But if the boys are here with me, I should be alright.”

Wonwoo’s eyebrows shoot up. “So Mingyu, Hansol, Seungkwan and Chan… they don’t grow up too?”

“As long as they stay here, no.”

“Why did they choose to stay?”

“That’s not my story to tell,” Junhui replies.

At this point, Wonwoo’s begun thinking out loud. “Isn’t growing up part of what makes us human, though? If you hand us immortality… What happens to our humanity?”

Junhui flops back on the bed. “We all have our reasons, Wonwoo. We all strive for happiness, and sometimes to find that we have to give something up, even if that thing is the very essence of what makes us human.”

“What was your reason?” Wonwoo asks, walking across the room to sit by the foot of Junhui’s bed.

He hears Junhui inhale sharply before answering, “You know, it’s funny. I’ve been here so long that I can’t remember what I was running away from.”

Silence hangs between them, the only noise drifting through the air being the cicadas’ song. It takes a while before Wonwoo could speak up. “I think I would like that freedom. Not having to worry whether or not I have enough time to do this or that. I think it would be nice.”

“You could always choose to stay, you know,” Junhui nudges him with his foot. “But that would be selfish of me to ask of you.” He gets off the bed and stands up, patting down his messy hair. “Hey. I want you to see something.”

“What is it?” Wonwoo asks, but he’s already standing too.

Junhui grins. “I might not be able to show you all of Neverland in one day, but I might be able to do it in one night.”

Junhui leads him up to the top of the treehouse, and then even higher than that to only a place accessible by flying. They’re on a small deck encircled by wooden railings, much like a crow’s nest of a pirate ship, towering above the trees and clouds. It’s much colder than it is back down in the treehouse, and they’re so high up that Wonwoo fears that if he looks anywhere else than the back of Junhui’s head he’ll throw up.

“This is my favourite place in all of Neverland,” Junhui beams. Wonwoo has a tight grip on Junhui’s arm but Junhui manages to loosen it to take Wonwoo’s hand in his. “Look.”

Despite himself, Wonwoo does as he’s told, gathering the nerve to take a step forward so that he’s closer to the railings, and what he sees takes his breath away.

From so high up, he’s able to see all of Neverland, blanketed in the velvety night sky. He could see far ahead and all around and he’s able to make out the places he had visited earlier today -- Mermaid Lagoon (a bit lifeless without all the mermaids), Marooner’s Rock and the beach below them. Wonwoo thinks that if he reaches up, he could pluck out one of the stars from the sky.

Junhui points out the other places Wonwoo’s not familiar with: Never Land Plains, Crocodile Creek, Neverpeak Mountain, Skull Rock and somewhere deep in the middle of the forest where Pixie Hollow lies. It’s more than magical, and Wonwoo feels incredibly lucky to have been introduced to all of this.

But amongst all of this, his eyes stay the longest on Junhui. The way his face lights up when he tells Wonwoo the stories that happened in all of these places make Wonwoo’s heart swell, and that’s Wonwoo decides he wants to be part of those stories too.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Junhui asks.

Wonwoo’s still looking at him when he replies, “Yeah.”

Junhui glances over at him. “What are you looking so happy for?” he asks, but there’s a faint trace of a smile on his face too. Wonwoo shrugs as an answer.

They stay there for a while, taking in the scenery; the wind is cold but Wonwoo doesn’t mind, the warmth of Junhui’s hand in his is enough to thaw anything frozen. He only speaks up when Junhui tells him they should get back down before they become ice pops.

“Hey, Junhui?” Wonwoo says, voice coming out quieter than he’d intended it to.

“Hm?”

“What if I stayed?”

“What?”

Wonwoo at Junhui’s face -- a strange mixture of shock, confusion and a tinge of what he could only describe as hope. “What if I decided to stay? What would you do?”

“I -- You -- “ Junhui blinks and clears his throat. “Would you like to?”

Wonwoo bites his bottom lip. “I’d like to.”

The smile that slowly spreads across Junhui’s face is probably the most beautiful thing Wonwoo has ever seen. He gives Wonwoo’s hand a light squeeze as he replies, “Then I’d be happy.”

////

“Listen up!” Junhui calls out, gathering everyone around. It’s the next morning and the first thing Junhui had done after getting out of bed was to announce to everybody that Wonwoo would be staying. “We’re going to have a feast tonight in celebration of Wonwoo, so I want you all to _work._ Seungkwan and Chan will be in charge of meat. Hansol will be in charge of seafood. Mingyu and I will be the ones cooking because I don’t trust any of you near the stove. Minghao and Wonwoo, you two will go gather the greens.”

Minghao crosses his arms. “I can go gather them myself.”

“Not after last time you can’t.”

Minghao narrows his eyes at Junhui but relents in the end, huffing, “Fine, whatever.”

Junhui grins, clapping his hands together once before dismissing all of them. Once the rest are out of earshot, Wonwoo approaches Junhui and whispers, “Uh, Jun… You think pairing me up with Minghao is a good idea?”

“Of course,” Junhui answers, sounding too confident. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I’m not exactly on Minghao’s best friend list, remember?”

Junhui turns and places both hands on Wonwoo’s shoulders. “Look, if you’re going to stay here, I have to try to ease the tension between you two or else what kind of friend would I be?” He sighs before continuing, “Minghao’s not a bad person. He just cares too much about all of us and is sometimes very grumpy, but there’s not a muscle in him that allows him to actively hate anyone. He’s just being dramatic. Just… give it a shot?” He weakly smiles at Wonwoo.

Wonwoo understands where he’s coming from so he nods, even though he’s secretly terrified that Minghao would ‘accidentally’ lose him in the forest and leave him to fend for himself against whatever’s out there. “Alright.”

“Hey, we don’t have all day,” Minghao’s voice snaps from behind them. He has a small leather bag slung across his shoulders and a sour expression on his face as he taps his foot impatiently against the floor.

Junhu’s arms fall from Wonwoo’s shoulders and Wonwoo instantly misses the touch. He pats Wonwoo’s back and pushes him forward. “Well, off you go. Don’t let me keep you.”

Minghao scans Wonwoo up and down before snorting and walking away, which is probably a sign that Wonwoo should follow suit. Behind him, he hears Junhui yell, “Be nice to each other!”

“Whatever!” Minghao yells back.

////

It’s clear that Minghao knows the forest like the back of his hand -- he navigates through the trees and bushes like it’s second nature to him, ignoring the beaten paths in lieu of shortcuts. He walks faster than Wonwoo could catch up and eight minutes in, Wonwoo finally speaks up, panting, “Can you slow down a bit?”

Minghao doesn’t slow down. “Walk faster. If you can’t keep up then why did you follow me in the first place?”

Wonwoo quickens his pace so he’s a few steps behind Minghao. He’s normally a calm person who’d rather avoid confrontations if possible but he’s finally had enough of the attitude Minghao’s directed at him. In his knowledge, he’d never done anything wrong to Minghao, so why was he so mean to him all the time?

“Look, what exactly is your problem?” Wonwoo says, tone matching Minghao’s annoyed one.

Minghao stops so abruptly that Wonwoo almost runs into him. He turns around, seething. “My problem? _My problem?_ ”

“Yeah, what have I done to get you to act like such an asshole to me?”

“Me? What about you? What’s _your_ problem?” Minghao glares daggers. “Why did you suddenly decide to stay? Why are you acting like we’re all your goddamn friends?”

“Because you are!” Wonwoo snaps, glaring back at Minghao. The fairy jumps a little, obviously not expecting Wonwoo’s outburst, but his expression is still hard as a rock.

Minghao’s jaw clenches. “I don’t know what you’ve said to Junhui to get him to trust you so easily, but I don’t buy it. You’re not the first person that Junhui looks at like… like _that._ ”

Wonwoo’s eyebrows knit in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Please,” Minghao scoffs. “Don’t act like you don’t know.” He crosses his arms, sharp eyes scanning Wonwoo up and down. He shakes his head slightly and speaks low like he was talking to himself instead of to Wonwoo, “The last time Junhui looked at someone like that was at Mingming… We all know how that turned out.”

The foreign name makes Wonwoo even more curiouser. “Who’s Mingming?”

Minghao stiffens, belatedly realising that he had said something Wonwoo was probably not supposed to hear. “He’s -- I -- It’s nothing, forget I said anything.” He begins walking again but Wonwoo quickly catches up and grabs his arm in a desperate attempt to stop him.

“Who’s Mingming?” Wonwoo repeats, Minghao shaking his grip off his arm. He’s shorter than Wonwoo but the way he stands and carries himself exudes confidence and control, making it seem like he’s larger than he actually is.

“Shut up,” Minghao says.

“You can’t just say something like that and then not --” Wonwoo’s cut off by Minghao abruptly raising his hand to cover Wonwoo’s mouth. He protests, words coming out faint and muffled.

Minghao shushes him. “Shut up,” he hisses. His pointy ears twitch as his eyes dart around. “Do you hear that?”

They stand quiet and still as statues. Wonwoo strains his ears to listen to anything out of the ordinary, but all he hears are the usual sounds of the forest. The tension in Minghao’s shoulders is prominent as he turns to look at their surroundings, slowly and steadily, hands clenched by his sides. In Wonwoo’s peripheral vision, he sees a blur of movement to his left; he hears the crack of a twig and the slight rustle of the bushes.

“Minghao --” he starts, but is cut off by someone (or something) striking him in the calves. His knees buckle and he falls down; it happened so quickly that he didn’t have time to react.

“Wonwoo!” Minghao yells, surprised, already on his way to help Wonwoo, but something grabs ahold of him and drags him back, back, back.

The last thing Wonwoo sees before everything goes black is Minghao’s hands reaching out to him.

////

When Wonwoo comes to, the first thing that settles over him is pure terror. He couldn’t move his arms or legs since they’re tied together with thick, rough rope and he thrashes about trying to loosen them, to no avail.

“Calm down, will you,” comes Minghao’s voice from across the room -- it’s the first time Wonwoo’s noticed him and he’s glad that Minghao’s alive. His arms and legs are also tied together and there’s leaves and twigs sticking out of his hair and dried blood smeared on his nose which signifies that he probably put up more of a fight than Wonwoo did. “It’s no use. Stop wasting your energy.”

“Where are we?” Wonwoo asks. He looks around -- they’re in what seems to be a cell, judging from the iron bars standing a few feet away from them. The entire room, from floor to ceiling, is made out of gunmetal grey stones. It’s dark and cold inside, the complete opposite of the atmosphere outside.

“Skull Rock, probably,” Minghao answers. He turns his head so that he’s facing the entrance of the cell rather than Wonwoo before yelling at the top of his lungs, “ _SEUNGCHEOL! YOU DICK, COME OUT HERE!”_

Wonwoo winces at the sudden scream, having not expected how loud it would sound as it echoes through the cell. If the walls were made of glass, he’s sure Minghao’s voice would have shattered them by now.

“ _SEUNGCHEOL! I KNOW YOU’RE THERE!_ ” Minghao yells again. “ _LET US GO OR ELSE I’LL --_ ”

“I’m here, I’m here, Christ, stop screaming,” says a voice. In front of the cell stands a tall man, his dark hair pushed up and away from his forehead. His red jacket is striking against the darkness of the place, like a drop of blood. He’s handsome, with large eyes and long lashes and full lips, which is probably not a good thing for Wonwoo to think about if he really was the one who kidnapped them. Behind him stands two other men, both smiling sheepishly.

“Hi, Minghao,” says the man standing to Seungcheol’s left, the one with fluffy hair and full cheeks.

Minghao glares at him. “Really, Soonyoung? You almost broke my nose!”

“I’m sorry!” Soonyoung apologizes hastily. “I didn’t mean to! Why did you thrash around anyway!”

“Because I thought I was actually going to die, that’s why!” Minghao turns his glare to Seungcheol. “Let us go, _now_.”

Seungcheol takes a step closer and leans against the metal bars and sighs. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Minghao. Not until Junhui pays for what he’s done.”

Wonwoo’s blood runs cold at Seungcheol’s words. “W-What did he do?” he stutters out, mouth feeling too dry for his liking.

“Stop being so dramatic, Seungcheol,” Minghao rolls his eyes before explaining to Wonwoo, “It’s just this stupid feud they have. Every other month or so one of them steals something from the other and they try to one-up each other. It’s so childish.”

Seungcheol gapes, offended. “He stole an entire month’s worth of shipwrecked loot from us!”

“Huh. So that’s where he got the new stove,” Minghao mutters. Wonwoo finds the entire situation slightly amusing -- and a few minutes ago he thought his life was in imminent danger.

“Since he stole our supplies, what better way to get back at him than to steal his right-hand man and his boyfriend?” Seungcheol says proudly.

Wonwoo chokes. “His _what_ now?”

“The mermaids told me. Wonwoo, right?”

“No -- I mean, yes -- Yes, I’m Wonwoo, but I’m not anyone’s boyfriend,” Wonwoo sputters, Minghao watching him the whole time with a smirk on his lips.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Seungcheol says. “It’s a pity we had to meet like this. I was hoping Junhui would introduce me to you first. Did Seokmin treat you well on the way here?” He gestures to the other man standing to his right -- the tall one who looks way too nice to be in an environment this dark.

“He knocked me out,” Wonwoo deadpans.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t exactly kidnapped anyone before this,” Seokmin says.

“Look,” Minghao sighs. “Just let us go, okay? We’re not part of you and Junhui’s childish competition.”

“I’ll let you go, but not Wonwoo. Junhui has to come here and get him himself… Or, you could trade something of yours…” Seungcheol trails off suggestively.

Minghao squints his eyes suspiciously. “What do you want?”

“Pixie dust. Whatever you have with you right now.”

“What use do you have with pixie dust?”

“You’d be surprised,” Seungcheol replies. “So, what’s it going to be?”

Minghao’s silent for a moment, jaw clenched; Wonwoo could practically see the gears turning in his head as he thinks of the possible consequences and other courses of actions, but in the end he finally says, “Fine. I’ll give it to you.”

“Minghao, _no_ ,” Wonwoo snaps. He remembers a conversation he had with Junhui about how vital pixie dust is to a fairy. Minghao shouldn’t have to give it up for him. “Just go, okay? I’ll be fine here by myself.”

“Like hell I’m going to leave you alone,” Minghao retorts. He faces Seungcheol and says with much finality, “I’ll give you the dust.”

“Minghao --”

“Shut up and let me do this, okay?” he hisses. Seungcheol nods and the cell door opens to let Soonyoung and Seokmin enter and untie their binds. Once they’re free from the ropes, Minghao conjures up a pouch seemingly out of nowhere; Wonwoo’s about to step in to try and stop him again but Minghao sends him a look and he stops, letting the fairy toss the pouch to Seungcheol who catches it with much ease.

Seungcheol opens the pouch and peers into it before closing it again, satisfied. He grins at them, wide and handsome, “Pleasure doing business with you. Get home safely.”

////

The sun is blinding after being surrounded by glum darkness, even if it was only for an hour tops. Minghao leads the way through the forest and back to the treehouse silently -- he looks unusually pale and his steps aren’t as steady as they were before.

Wonwoo breaks the silence, “You didn’t have to do that, you know. I could have waited for help.”

“Jun would throw me off Marooner’s Rock if he found out I left you alone,” Minghao says, rubbing the red marks around his wrists from the rope.

“Still… I know how important pixie dust is to you and --”

“It was my choice, okay?” Minghao cuts him off. “No need to feel guilty or anything over me losing my pixie dust. I can easily get some more.”

“I -- Thank you,” Wonwoo says to Minghao, touched by Minghao’s sudden kindness -- although it wasn’t too surprising. Minghao _is_ a good guy. He just… cares about other people too much; he might act cold towards Wonwoo but it’s only because he wanted to protect his friends.

“You’re welcome,” Minghao says. “Now let’s get back to the treehouse quick and get me more dust before I pass out.”

////

It’s a few days after the Seungcheol incident (Junhui was absolutely livid when they told him and Mingyu had practically force fed him chocolate cupcakes to calm him down) that Wonwoo finally mustered up the courage to ask the boys about what had been in his mind ever since Minghao had accidentally let it slip. The afternoon is bright and lazy and Junhui and Minghao had left for Pixie Hollow minutes before; the air is filled with the sound of cicadas and the whistle of the wind like a busy summer day.

“Hey,” Wonwoo takes a deep breath and lets it out, speaking a bit louder to get the boys’ attention. “Can I ask you all something?”

“Shoot,” replies Mingyu from where he’s peeling oranges in the kitchen.

“Who’s Mingming?”

The sudden stillness that washes over the room is so palpable that it’s almost comical. Seungkwan’s hands are frozen mid-air from where they were about to smack Hansol with a stalk of leek. Chan’s eyes had grown to the size of plates, but he says nothing.

“How… do you know that name?” Hansol asks carefully -- too carefully, like he’s treading on eggshells. Wonwoo realizes that this is probably a subject that’s rarely ever talked about judging by their reactions, but it’s too late to turn around now.

“Minghao let it slip the other day,” Wonwoo replies. “He was pretty unforthcoming when I asked him about it, so I thought it would be better to ask you guys.”

Seungkwan stares at Mingyu with wide eyes and Mingyu stares back as if they were having a silent conversation. Seungkwan gestures wildly with his hands and Mingyu just shrugs in response. After more gestures coming from, Mingyu finally relents and says, “He was… just like us.”

“What can you tell me about him?” Wonwoo asks.

“Mingming? That was years ago. He was nice. He stayed for some time, but then left abruptly,” Mingyu answers.

“We still don’t really know why he left,” Chan adds, “but I’m sure Jun does.”

“Why do you look so uncomfortable talking about this? Is this, like, an off limits topic?”

“Not exactly. We just don’t really talk about it. When Mingming left, it really messed Junhui up for quite a while,” explains Mingyu. “Junhui rarely ever talks about him, but when he does he has this fondness in his eyes.” He looks at Wonwoo, gaze striking and watchful as he says, “It’s the same look he gives you now.”

Wonwoo flushes, clearing his throat as he tries to think of something to steer the conversation away from this territory. “He came here on his own will, but unlike us he decided to leave…”

“Which is fine,” Hansol says. “You’re not forced to stay.”

“Why did _you_ , though?” Wonwoo asks. “Stay, I mean.”

“I can’t remember,” Hansol replies honestly. “But I do know that I was severely unhappy with my life. Neverland seemed like the perfect solution for me back then, and I still think it was the right choice to stay. Who knows what would become of me if I didn’t?”

“So we’re all just runaways,” Wonwoo states after a beat of silence.

Hansol laughs, but his voice is pensive when he says, “Did we all run away, though? Or were we just trying to save ourselves?”

////

That night, it was colder than usual.

Wonwoo had traded his usual long sleeved shirt for a thicker hoodie and pair of sweatpants, but even with those and Junhui’s body heat radiating off him from where he was lying next to Wonwoo in bed, he still felt cold. He sighs and turns, coming face to face with Junhui who’s still awake. Wonwoo doesn’t shy away from the close proximity, not anymore.

“Can’t sleep?” Junhui asks, softly, as if speaking too loud would shatter something.

Wonwoo shakes his head.

“What were you doing then?”

“Thinking,” answers Wonwoo.

“About what?”

Wonwoo shrugs.

Junhui prods his leg with his toes. “Okay, how about we play a little game? We’ll give each other topics to the other has to talk about it. I’ll start. What do you think about… stars?”

Wonwoo thinks about it for a moment. “They’re pretty, I guess. It’s kind of sad that all the light pollution makes it hard to see them back in Seoul, but here everything’s so clear.”

“Okay. Now you give me a topic.”

Wonwoo says the first thing that comes into his mind. “Chocolate covered strawberries.”

“Overrated,” Junhui snorts. “I mean, they’re strawberries dipped in chocolate. How great can they get?”

Wonwoo chuckles. “Pretty great, actually.”

“Alright, my turn. Since you brought up chocolate covered strawberries, it got me thinking about Valentine’s Day, which got me thinking about love. So, thoughts on love?”

“Overrated,” Wonwoo replies. Junhui prods him again with his toes and he laughs. “Okay, okay, I mean… I don’t know. It’s there. Everyone experiences it, right? If you love your pet or your favourite food… That’s still love. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a person.”

Junhui hums but says nothing else, and Wonwoo takes this opportunity to ask, the question coming out of his mouth too sudden and unfiltered, “How about you? Have you ever… loved someone?”

Junhui’s silent for a while -- so silent, that Wonwoo thought he had fallen asleep, but when he looks at him, he’s wide awake. It takes a while for him to answer, and when he did his voice is softer than before, “I used to think I did. He was something… bright and beautiful and untouchable. But that was a lifetime ago. It was something temporary. When you have all the time in the world, you realise love isn’t something so simple and one dimensional. I didn’t know that back then.”

“What about now?”

“Now?” Junhui’s eyes meet Wonwoo’s, and Wonwoo could see the entire universe in them. “It’s like I’m learning all over again.”

////

The beach is quiet and serene, just like it always is, a peaceful symphony of currents crashing against rocks and the seaside breeze. Junhui is unusually quiet as they walk along the shore, leaving footprints in the sand only to be washed away by the ebbing waves. It takes a while for Junhui to finally talk, the words coming out of his mouth like shattered glass and brimstone.

“Wonwoo… You can’t stay.”

Wonwoo freezes in place, breath stuck in his lungs. He stares at Junhui, dumbfounded. “What? Why? What did I do?” He tries to think back, tries to look for the anger and disappointment in Junhui’s face to give him a clue as to what he might have done wrong, but all he found was a silent apology.

“Nothing,” Junhui says. “You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s just… You can’t stay, okay? You have to go back home.”

“I - I don’t understand. Why?” Wonwoo asks, confused and frustrated as to why Junhui would suddenly ask him to leave. “Is it because… Do you not… like me anymore?”

Junhui steps closer to him and takes Wonwoo’s hands in his. “No, God, _no_. It’s the opposite, actually. I like you too much, and I know your main reason for staying is me, and I can’t let you do that. I can’t let you throw away your life just because of me, Wonwoo.”

It’s unsettling how Junhui could see right through him easily. “But I like it here. I like being with you. And with Mingyu and Seungkwan and MInghao and Hansol and Chan. I’m not throwing anything away… It was my choice to stay.”

Junhui sighs. “Wonwoo, you have a brother, right? What’s his name?”

“What?”

“What’s your brother’s name?”

Wonwoo hardly sees how this correlates to anything, but he decides it’s best to not question Junhui and just reply. The answer that should so easily come into his head doesn’t, and it startles him how he could forget something that he’s not supposed to.

“You can’t remember, right? You’re forgetting,” Junhui says. “That’s what happens when you stay here for too long. It happened to me, it happened to the rest. But it’s not too late for you, Wonwoo. You can still go back. Live a normal life.” What a cruel and terrible thing, Wonwoo thinks, that the universe has to make him choose between Junhui and his own humanity.

“So you’re just asking me to leave?”

“It’s the lesser of two evils,” Junhui says, and the sadness in his voice is enough to make Wonwoo’s heart shatter. “I can’t ask you to stay.”

Wonwoo feels the ache deep in his chest. “I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to be another heartbreak… another untouchable thing.”

“But you aren’t. God, you aren’t,” Junhui says, bringing Wonwoo’s hands to his lips to press a kiss on every knuckle. He’s smiling, but his eyes speak of an unfathomable sadness. “You’re the only thing in this entire universe that makes me want to grow old, if only to spend the rest of my life with you, but I can’t and I’m sorry for burdening you with this.”

Junhui leans in, smelling of salt and oranges and pine, and laughter and rain and summer. Junhui floods his senses; he’s so close that Wonwoo could feel the rapid beating of his heart against his, and when Junhui finally kisses him, the rest of the world falls away.

Junhui’s mouth is warm and his lips slot perfectly against Wonwoo’s, and when he moves them all the thoughts in Wonwoo’s head are gone, replaced only by _Junhui Junhui Junhui_. He kisses like how he loves: softly, tenderly, and with everything he has to offer. The kiss is both the beginning and the end. Junhui’s soft and beautiful and terrible and it breaks Wonwoo’s heart in all the right places.

They pull apart, foreheads resting against each other. Junhui wipes away the tears on Wonwoo’s cheek with the pad of his thumb -- Wonwoo doesn’t even remember when he started crying.

Wonwoo sniffs. “Is - Is this you saying goodbye?”

“No, I don’t believe in goodbyes. This is me saying that you’re the closest thing to normal that I’ll ever experience, the closest thing to me being human,” Junhui says, and he’s smiling again, but this time it isn’t sad -- it’s honest and warm and hopeful. “This is me saying I love you, Jeon Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo’s heart swells, and he’s smiling as he leans in to kiss Junhui again. “I love you too.”

////

Wonwoo had spent at least a week in Neverland, but when Junhui brought him back to Seoul, it seemed as if only a day had passed. He had left after saying goodbye to the rest of the boys, who were absolutely sad to see him go, even Minghao. He’ll definitely miss them, and it makes him even sadder that he’s probably not going to be able to see them again anytime soon.

His room is in the same state as he left it -- unmade bed, piles of textbooks on his desk and his open laptop which had probably already run out of battery by now. They both linger by the open window and Wonwoo wracks his brain to come up with something -- _anything_ \-- to say that would make Junhui stay longer, even if it’s only for a little while.

“Can’t you stay here with me?” Wonwoo asks. Junhui’s hand is warm in his, like a hearth.

Junhui shakes his head. “My life is in Neverland. If I don’t go back there, who’s going to keep those boys alive? Mingyu’s going to accidentally burn down the treehouse or something.”

Wonwoo laughs. “Promise you’ll visit, okay?” Wonwoo says to Junhui. “And use the door next time.”

“I will. Stay safe, Wonwoo.” Junhui gives him a light peck on the lips.

Wonwoo smiles, trying to etch Junhui’s face into his memory because he doesn’t know how long before he’ll get to see him again… If he’s ever going to see him again. “You too. Goodbye, Junhui.”

“What did I tell you? I don’t believe in goodbyes,” Junhui strokes Wonwoo’s cheek with his hand and Wonwoo leans into the touch, and he misses him already. “See you soon, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo’s grip on Junhui’s hand tightens, and he doesn’t want to let go.

////

It's on a Saturday night that he finally comes, as unexpected as rain on a sunny summer day.

It’s almost been six months, but Wonwoo hasn’t stopped hoping. Sure, there were days where he would forget, but there were also days where the longing is so bad it feels like his chest was being repeatedly stomped on.

It’s nearing two in the morning when he visits, and everything’s almost just like the way he came the first time, down to the unfinished essay open on Wonwoo’s laptop and the unlit cigarette between his fingers.

At first, Wonwoo had ignored the knock on his door, but it kept going, and Wonwoo wonders who would come looking for him at this hour. When he opens the door, he wasn’t expecting the green hoodie and ripped up jeans and ratty Converse sneakers, and his jaw drops to the ground along with his cigarette.

“I told you that’s not good for your health,” Junhui says, his voice soft and lovely and tender. “You really don’t listen, do you?”

“You’re here,” Wonwoo breathes out, still not quite believing his eyes.

“I promised, didn’t I?” Junhui grins, and it’s as bright and beautiful just as Wonwoo remembers.

Junhui holds out his hand, and not for the first time, Wonwoo takes it.

**Author's Note:**

> hello!!! thank you so much for reading! this fic is the longest one shot i've written so far, and although there are some parts that i'm still a bit unsatisfied with, i'm quite proud of it!  
> sorry if the ending seemed a bit rushed. maybe i'll come back to this one day.  
> this is unbeta'ed (like most of my fics) so i apologise for any mistakes and possible plot holes and whatnot!  
> i hope you enjoyed reading this! comments are always appreciated! also hmu on [twitter](https://twitter.com/softerstorms)!


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